Flaming Zombies
by CrypticCatalyst
Summary: Leo is avenging the camp by pulling an epic prank on the Stolls, and it has just occurred to him that Nico di Angelo has some specific abilities that could prove useful. One-shot, post BOO. A tiny bit of Caleo, Solangelo, Jiper, and some miniscule Percabeth if you squint. Flames will be eaten by narwhals.


"Hey, Death Boy, can I talk to you for a sec?" Leo called to Nico from behind his cabin. Nico looked over at him and scowled.

"What do you want, Valdez?" He trudged over to him.

"I need you to help me pull an epic prank on the Stolls. I thought, what's better than fire? And I came up with an answer to this millennium old question. Zombies on fire." Leo whispered dramatically.

"I am not going to waste my energy on playing stupid pranks. And I am absolutely not going to disrespect the remains of the dead for such stupid purposes." Nico started to walk away.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that. If you don't help me, I'll show everyone a picture I recently acquired of you and a certain Will Solace."

"You're trying to blackmail me? You can't show everyone that picture if you're dead." Nico glared at him.

"Please, Nico? You and I were single dudes on the Argo II, remember? Help a bro out. Besides, if you weren't so threatening, the Stolls would've already pranked you. Everyone else in the camp wants sweet revenge." Leo gave him a wide-eyed look.

"Does Calypso know about this?"

"I've gotten everyone prepared for a good show."

"You seriously just assumed I would agree to help you prank Travis and Connor?"

"…Yes?"

"Fine. I'll get you back for this, though."

"Yes! Thanks, Death Boy. I knew I could count on you! Just meet me outside of the Hermes Cabin near midnight."

"Will wants me to sleep more… never mind. Just leave me alone after this."

"Okay, I probably will." Leo ran off excitedly.

"Hey, Leo just told my cabin that you're helping him prank the Stolls. Something I'd like to see, to be honest." Nico turned to see Will, watching him with amusement on his face.

"I thought that you were a let's-talk-it-out-and-hug sort of guy. And I didn't agree, I was blackmailed." Nico visibly relaxed a bit at the sight of Apollo's son.

"The Stolls have pranked me in ways that leave vengeance as the only answer." Will shuddered at past memories.

"Okay then, I'd better go ask a few ghosts for permission to use their organic remains for idiotic purposes." Nico entered his cabin and closed the door, leaving Will staring with complete befuddlement.

Meanwhile, Leo was telling the rest of the Hermes Cabin to silently evacuate their cabin fifteen minutes before midnight. The Hermes kids were itching to see a good prank and promised not to tell Connor and Travis. Leo reminded himself to never trust those turncoats, who had pranked him a few months ago in a brutal attack involving ice cubes and a creepy doll.

"Leave him alone," Calypso nudged him. They were now sitting around the campfire, and Leo kept winking at Nico disconcertingly. Nico blatantly ignored him, laughing at something that Will said. The sight of the usually grumpy son of Hades actually laughing was enough to silence more than a few people.

"Sorry, just messing with him." Leo turned back to Calypso, using the heat from his hand to roast a marshmallow for her and then offering it as if it were something holy. She tried to smother a smile, making an odd face in the process. They both cracked up.

"Okay, time to go back to your cabins before the Harpies come." Chiron announced.

"How are you going to get past the Harpies?" Jason asked his friend.

"They're on our side. I pulled some strings, got some favors."

"I'm not even going to ask." Jason was distracted when Piper threw a marshmallow in the air and attempted to catch it in her mouth. Instead, it hit him in the head.

"A nice break from bricks?" She asked, giggling. They all got up and returned to their cabins. Around thirty minutes from twelve, in the light of only a few torches, the campers who were able to stay awake gathered in front of the victims' cabin. The Hermes campers crept out, as silent as their father, God of thieves. Leo jumped when Nico tapped him on the shoulder. Even without using his powers, the boy blended into the darkness.

"I'm here, Valdez."

"Awesomesauce. Okay, so you can just hide in the shadows and summon some zombies-"

"Undead." Nico corrected.

"Yeah, fine, undead. Anyways, summon those guys, and I'll douse them in gasoline and then light them on fire. They won't burn to ashes because Lou Ellen will use a fireproofing spell on them. Then, just lock the door to the cabin, and make them chase the Stolls around for a bit. Make sure to video it. After a while, I'll open the doors and they'll run out like bats out of hell." Leo instructed with an impish grin.

"So I'm doing everything, pretty much?" Nico face-palmed.

"I'm lighting the fire."

"Couldn't I just light it with matches?"

"My fire is special, di Angelo. You wouldn't understand."

"Hey, I'm playing a major part in this too!" The daughter of Hecate yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, let's do this." Leo gestured at Nico. "Do your thing."

Nico's eyes closed, and his face became stony as he splayed his hands. Skeletal corpses exploded from the ground, and the crowd tried not to gasp. Leo pored the gasoline over the zombies and after letting Lou Ellen add her contribution to the prank, he set them afire. Nico shadow traveled himself and the undead into the cabin and backed into a dark corner, raising the camera Leo had given him.

Travis woke up first, and with a feminine shriek, ran for the door. Connor saw what his brother was escaping from and screamed an octave higher. They both pounded on the door and called for help, but when it showed no signs of opening, they tried to climb out of a window. And failed. One of the corpses grabbed Connor's ankle, and he flipped out, kicking it away and flailing his arms. Nico had to bite into his lip trying not to burst out in hysterical laughter. It was all worth it. After another minute of watching them scream and trip over themselves, Nico felt some pity for the two boys and used an old pager to let Leo know to open the door. He opened it, and both Stolls ran out at top speed. To everyone's amusement, they simultaneously fainted. Nico dismissed the corpses, and they sank back into the earth.

"Let me see the video!" Leo excitedly snatched the camera and uploaded the video to his laptop. The demigods leaned over his shoulder to watch. It was so funny that he sent it to Reyna at Camp Juniper.

"You've used your abilities for good today," Percy told Nico proudly. Annabeth smacked his arm.

"Bad influence!" She chastised. Glancing at Nico, she conceded, "It was hilarious, though."

"Could you please do a collaboration prank with me again some time? That was the best thing ever!" Leo pleaded.

"You have to admit that it was fun, right?" Will added hopefully, still pink from laughing so hard. Nico lifted a shoulder, then let it fall.

"I might just do it again." He sighed. A few people cheered.

"What's going on here?" Chiron yelled, and everyone simultaneously scattered like a flock of birds. Connor and Travis were left lying on the ground. "I don't even know anymore," Chiron muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose and returning to the Big House, shaking his head.

A/N: And I'll leave the rest to your imagination. Feel free to leave a review, and stay awesome. Hopefully I'll have time to start a multi-chapter fic soon.


End file.
